Inside New York City's Water Towers | The New York Times

Rooftop water towers are the primary source of drinking water for many New Yorkers, yet frequently they are poorly maintained, and present a potential health hazard.
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Inside New York City's Water Towers | The New York Times
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[@atom999]

I did not think for a second they were still in use. when I saw them my thoughts were -nice they are preserving the historical look. Shocked by the 1920 hygiene standards

[@brainey001]

It's not really easy to rewire all pipes in NYC to todays standards like most suburbs and small towns... You'll have to rewire everything big time because for the amnt of ppl using the water at once, the flow has to be massive (so bigger pipes)... All buildings are connected to the same water system.... There is no way it will supply everyone at once, a tank will have to exist one way or another... It will also be very challenging to upgrade anything in such tall old building. I was in a newer 40 story hotel in NYC and the kitchen sink pipe was so wide you could fit a cup in there. I was shocked and scared a rat would climb out of there and even then the water took a long time to drain because the whole building was using it at once

[@Destin5258]

@@brainey001 And how do you suppose other nations with heavily populated cities deal with this issue?

[@xc9zf]

NorwegianNightmare nyc is huge and it is very hard to do any repairs or stuff. Just look at the subway. It needs repair but they never find a time to fix it cuz of how busy New Yorkers are and cuz of how much they use the subway

[@Daniel-wx3qn]

@@Destin5258 In São Paulo, Brazil, if you run a business you should have a valid proof of the watertank cleaning, this is enforced by the government bureaus. Wood watertanks are banned since 20's in Brazil, they should be made out concrete, fiberglass or plastic. All brazilian houses have at least a 500 litres watertank because in some places water supply could be variable.

[@Destin5258]

@@xc9zf If you think NYC is yuuuuge you should have a look at Tokyo. Makes NYC look like Bumfuck, Nebraska. And yet they still manage.

[@pseudonym4893]

That's nasty. Why don't they replace the wooden tanks with something more clean, secure and durable?

[@brandonpryormusic]

That was my question. My guess is that it would become a lightning rod if it were metallic.

[@ThoolooExpress]

In other parts of the world, plastic tanks are very popular. They're non-reactive and non-conductive.

[@alec4672]

The problem isn't that it's made of wood it's what kid of wood. These tanks are made of spruce but they should be made of red cedar, that's what they make wine and whisky barrels from. You need a wood that likes water. Cedars only grow in marsh they live there whole life wet it's the best wood for the job.

[@Hashterix]

Because building management companies who take tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars a year from each building as a service charge take more of it as profit than they should, while not portioning enough money off into funds for larger projects when they're needed. Systems need annual maintenance, but over the course of ~50 years enough money should have been put aside to be able to replace the entire system when it comes to its end of life, and this simply hasn't happened.

[@Mrcaffinebean]

Pseudo Nym my guess is most of the new ones are not wood but some of these tanks are on building that predate modern plastics.

[@Pelley4560]

If it's that cheap they should be cleaned every month!

[@pawpatrolnews]

Sad!

[@CyberspacedLoner]

stainless steel tanks are cleaner and more expensive to operate ?!

[@Gummo22]

this is outrageous. why are these tanks still made out of wood? NYC could be raking in big money fining those deadbeat landlords. Lets try to not restart up the plague.

[@sylviarohge4204]

Stainless steel plates also fit in lifts. And since buildings are mostly built with the aid of cranes, you can put a stainless steel tank on top.

[@1vachmed94]

What about a water pump that shuts on when you need it? less stationary water, problem solved.

[@FirstnameLastname-ct6vu]

Chris Landry Starret City elevators go to the roof.

[@Zreknarf]

1vachmed94 that is essentially what happens. but the tank is required because if 100 people in the building turn their taps on at the same time it would overload the pump. the tank is like a battery for the pump having a water tank on the roof is also quite useful in the event of a power outage or fire.

[@1vachmed94]

You could just install more pumps, in my 10 story apartment building it has just 3 pumps for the whole building. I don't think it will be useful in case of a fire. The amount of water needed to extinguish the fire is way more than the tank on the roof.

[@matthearne9170]

I dont understand how the tank could be made of timber. When food grade containers must be stainless steel glass or plastic

[@jakexd5524]

They need to use the right wood, like the kind used for whiskey barrels.

[@mountainman5025]

These tanks were built in place when the buildings were built. Repairs are easy, most are cedar. It's not the tanks that are the real problem, it's the water itself.

[@manit77]

Ben Bennett wood has pores and can degrade perfect for bacteria colonies to form.

[@BeIlows]

Wood's insulated enough to stop water from freezing in the winter, expansive enough to survive the summer and most importantly, being 100% shone on by the sun year after year wood can usually weather that and isn't particularly hot to the touch which makes them serviceable. Wood's a fine resource to use, just take bloody care of it. You think a stainless tank won't be growing hair algae given the same amount of crap care given? Plastic's even worse in most cases, it doesn't have the natural wood oils and when heated leaks plastic contaminants. It's the reason why most plastic water bottles for drinking now say BPA free. Obviously could use that more expensive plastic, but in most cases to reinforce it enough to take a large amount of water you'd rather just use stainless sheets.

[@elonmust7470]

@The P moron

[@JoeFoerster]

Wow. I worked on a dairy and would have expected the water tanks to be similar to milk tanks, minus the refrigeration and stirring mechanisms. Seems like stainless steel should be the materials for the tank going forward and mandatory inspections/cleaning yearly with HUGE fines should be instituted immediately.

[@SteveHolst]

Eeeep!

[@danielrose1392]

This is how water tanks look like in most industry nations. Here in germany water is either stored in stainless steel or food grade plastic.

[@alec4672]

you gotta fit it in an elevator

[@saltypipefitter4618]

Too expensive never will happen

[@dougjohnson182]

Yeah that's what we need, more regulations in NYC :/ The regulations obviously don't work on their own

[@FSXNOOB]

Lol.. welcome to 1903 boys

[@matthecheeseman]

Why are they wood, we have a plastic tanks for the rain water we use on the garden, surely they could use plastic or metal for people's drinking water

[@matthecheeseman]

The same way they get the giant air conditioning and other considerably heavier equipment.

[@waminette]

+ike fun stainless steel sheets that are bolted together at the top of the building.

[@mitchelll7846]

wood rots...

[@pdie624]

Not if maintained

[@randymarsh1554]

ike fun You ask why they should change and build tanks out of plastic or metal instead of wood when wood has been the choice for hundred years. Are you serious? :D :D Same reason we build cars meanwhile out of metal and plastic instead of wood. It lasts longer, it won't rot and therefore maintenance is significantly less important. If we wouldn't have ever changed the materials we build stuff out we would still be cavemen using spears with sharp stones at the end.

[@thethreebeans8078]

2:36 " Drinking water SAUCE"

[@mrzed2349]

That's the way we tawk in new yawk.

[@vcvcf1896]

I heard that as I was reading it.

[@aerodaan]

He looks like Jon Lovitz

[@kennethwallace4338]

Well it is water sauce.

[@pat7202]

dont make fun of peoples accent

[@empirestate8791]

I always thought those old water tanks were for show. I never knew they were still used for storing drinking water! How come one of the country's wealthiest cities is still using dilapidated, exposed water tanks!

[@89cadi]

Oh man...that was really horrible...I may never drink water in New York again.

[@miniena7774]

...you can’t be serious?

[@AnceOG]

only in tall buildings

[@rebekahalessi3731]

Sejal Khan so, in a hotel, on say, the 12th floor I am drinking tank water?

[@scj3188]

@@rebekahalessi3731 probably.

[@anthonyboarman3833]

Well a lot of people drink water that has been contaminated by chemicals from coal pants or industries.

[@macbuff81]

medieval. You'd think a country that at dinner point a man on the moon in the 60s would have come up with something more sanitary than these silly wooden pots by 2017. By asking individual property owners to ensure water quality, you're just asking for trouble. Most landlords only do the minimum necessary (and yea, some tenants can be quite nasty too).

[@milespico7179]

Almost like it's an illusion

[@denniskistner5901]

on hot days in the 80s the childeren& homeless would swim in them.

[@wefukthenwo]

eeewww!!

[@cha0s373]

"And New York has the water tower" Empire state building: Am I a joke to you?

[@BassGuitarGuy128]

2:36 "...because this is a building's primary drinking water sauce" New York accents are great

[@IronMan-qi3yg]

Hahaha

[@Omari1125]

Yep, The New York Times just gave me another reason not to move to New York City.

[@neanam]

Stray Dog I hope you ain't feeding that stray mutt

[@Tkdanso]

This is crazier than I thought. This expensive rents and this is the water we drinking. Insane.

[@b3j8]

Always wondered about how safe those old-looking water tanks were. Now, I know...gag!

[@richgg2]

Tanks alot for the info....

[@walterkersting1362]

I’ve heard New York has the best tasting tap water anywhere. Now I find that there has been cases of people living in the tanks.

[@dave-jl3vs]

Put a pool cleaner machine that can rover the bottom of these tanks lol

[@JacquesDufrene]

Now THIS i journalism that i like, why cant the times be more like this

[@mullerstephan]

because it's run by liberals with an agenda

[@bman192000]

Uh, this is the NY Times

[@holger_p]

From just one sample, one cannot even conclude what you like, to make it systematicly

[@nanomicroart]

Thank you for the information, well done bravo!

[@Aveeguides]

I watched a news bit on these wooden water tanks. Apparently the average installation cost of a wooden tank is $60k, whereas a steel tank is around $160k. On top of that, steel tanks have almost zero insulation, so water would constantly be freezing and thawing in the tank, which is dangerous from an engineering perspective. The 3” of wood on the wood tanks provides enough insulation to keep the water cool in summer and warm in winter. So it’s cheaper and easier to maintain.

[@jhoang861]

whoa! I always wondered if those tanks still collected water. Lived there for 13 years and I never knew.

[@bababooey7576]

Unheard of in Toronto (canada) the city has a few of its own actual water towers at different points/elevations in the system for storaGE/ water pressure etc. . These tanks in the video would never fly here. our water is cold enough all summer and not stagnant. ..I can't believe these tanks are for drinking water in this day and age. ..Kind of cool to see how things are/were done in other cities, though. lake ontario is below and the water all has to be pumped up. we even su pply water to the municipalities north of toronto. an amazing water system indeed. Part of our system pulls in water from way down deep in lake ontario where it is pumped through a series of heat exchangers and ultimately, cool quite a few buildings down town, then it is filtered and o ut into the distribution system. ENWAVE, it is called. really cool video and series here though.

[@opticalriot]

Oh Canada, oh oh oh Canada

[@essa.321]

The ability of the City of Toronto to supply water to municipalities within York Region solely lies upon the construction of several pumping stations across the City, and the division of Wards into pressure zones. If anything, Toronto Water has set the benchmark of what New York City should follow.

[@bababooey7576]

​@@essa.321 Thank you. Well said. I just reread my weird comment and only saw your reply now . High level pumping station comes to mind.. pumps it to the Bayview reservoir in Thornhill

[@gyrgrls]

Many tanks for sharing this story.

[@ORGANIZEDCoNfUsioN]

WOW, I had no idea that this was a problem. Great video.

[@ramunasgudauskas7582]

Rest in peace New Yorkers , in our place , we have some real pure and clean tap water. Which is actually better than the bottled one.

[@bl00dra1nn]

NYC tap water is actually one of the best, the point made here, is that the problem is in the storage tanks, you won't have any problem if your water comes directly from the municipal pipe.

[@ramunasgudauskas7582]

Carly Schultz Just i dont get , is that so hard to get some pump house , i mean , many pump houses to keep up the demand. Now its gravity fed , and people have to use some unrestricted storage tanks , which are worse than drinking from the random lake.

[@thatamerican550]

Ramūnas Gudauskas To operate a pump house requires a lot of energy, i don't think any electric cable below Queens or Manhattan would have the capacity to run an pump that could pump water to reach every skyscraper. I dont think the issues is with skyscrapers, i think its more with older apartments like ones built before 1970.

[@craigroaring]

@@bl00dra1nn Problem is people don't get to chose if they drink from municipal pipes or storage tanks. Their place of residence dictates what water they drink. Unless of course you are willing to be ripped of and buy bottled water.

[@philippp.m.4265]

You are probably living in an EU country, so thanks to the EU-regulation you can enjoy the highest tap water standards in the whole world.

[@wolfsmith2865]

yet another reason I shake my head and wonder why anyone would want to live anywhere near NYC.

[@kazikian]

Wolf Smith near NYC is nice, in NYC less so

[@miniena7774]

You’re either an envious southerner or foreigner. *SAD.*

[@TheBoBabsin]

Greg Caesar Enjoy your grey water and crime.

[@kazikian]

TheBoBabsin NYC water is actually known to be among the best in the nation. It is also what gives NYC bagels and pizza their excellent dough. Not every building depends on a water tower and not every water tower is contaminated. Being aware of the issue means we should work to correct it, not abandon NYC. And incidentally, any big city will have this issue. So Houston, Texas* or wherever is not exempt. Edit: *although, as an older city, NYC has more functioning roof-top water tanks than newer cities towards the West. Further reading: www.asse-plumbing.org/Articles/Water/How%20Potable%20Water%20Rises%20to%20the%20Top%20of%20Skyscrapers-%20Octo-Dec05.pdf

[@toppie34]

Water tanks not being cleaned is a nationwide problem, this is not confined to NYC

[@StevenTorrey]

It just shows how resilient people are that their body can resist such bad / unhealthy water.

[@Whateverhelpsyou777]

Thanks for that good and scary information good buddy.

[@alexj.8634]

I’ve lived in New York my whole life and never knew what those silver water sampling stations were.

[@richardbearden7889]

Know you know...spread the word..

[@zappy595]

thank you great lakes that i dont have to deal with this

[@bobcat18us]

Exactly the Great Lakes has some of the best drinking water in the country. But to make sure my water is clean, I draw my water from my own well which gets treated and cleaned 4 times before drinking it using a reverse osmosis system.

[@mattbob8725]

I'm glad I live in Chicago

[@philrabe910]

Chicago has roof tanks too, Zappy.

[@magiv4205]

zappy Thank you Switzerland for consisting basically only of mountains and lakes, so my country has literally never had to worry about clean water since its founding. I know I'm lucky to have grown up here, and not every place in the world can have such ideal conditions. But still, this is absolutely disgusting and a disgrace, especially for a country that's so filthy rich. The USA see themselves as the centre of the world, and yet they can't even keep their own water supply clean. And it's not just some poor forgotten villages in the middle of nowhere, it's literally the capital and all the big cities that are most affected! How can this even happen!? I would drink uncleaned, undistilled water from any lake in switzerland for the rest of my life before touching that sewage with a ten foot pole. I can guarantee you that it's still 20 times cleaner and healthier than whatever bacteria infested sludge resides in these tanks. Edit: I realize I messed up saying NY was the capital of the US, my bad. My point still stands though.

[@markbrinton6790]

zappy ha, thank you rocky mountain snow.

[@fm2236cbd]

Great video 👍

[@Dhspat]

I live in NYC. I use a Brita filter jug. It’s a 4 story building so we don’t have a tank like the video shows. I still filter “just in case”.

[@MrTibbs90]

Interesting. I remember seeing an episode of Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe where he helped a company tear down an old water tank and replace it with new wood.

[@FloorEncer]

Some non potable stickers are in order.

[@emilyjackson27]

hello

[@dhruv1863]

At my place we have white coloured plastic water tank which are somewhat transparent. They are always clean

[@XX-gy7ue]

EXCELLENT VIDEO

[@L_U-K_E]

There are no tanks in the U.K. 🇬🇧 The water just gets pumped up

[@RHEC1776]

In California as well. The only time you have a tank is if you have a personal well

[@everestfalls]

No wonder some of my NYC relatives and friends get the stomach flu more times than I do...and I currently live in a third world country.

[@TheRealLink]

Yep, mind blown. Thought they too were kept for aesthetics and as others said, a modern lining or basement storage / pumping was used all the way up. But to hear they're still in use with this much degradation is beyond disgusting.

[@TheChrisEMartin]

As a British tourist to New York City I was fascinated to see these 'towers' on buildings all over Manhattan. I wondered what they were for. Now I know. I guess we didn't have them in the UK cities because few of our buildings were built so high and therefore we have natural pressure feed to individual apartments or houses.

[@justthebeginning1448]

The rich folks aren't drinking out of them so they don't care.

[@LetterSignedBy51SpiesWasA-Coup]

JustTheBeginning being rich is practically a requirement to rent in Manhattan or Queens

[@cplcabs]

Why should they care? The land lords are the ones who should care.

[@Alex632]

Why should they care? The people drinking the water should do something about it

[@Apollo-gp5vm]

@@cplcabs Because the city has a commitment to maintain the health and safety of its citizens within its abilities. The landlord will NEVER care unless they are financially or legally liable and the rules are enforced.

[@BensonJackie]

Actually, they are since most will be on the top floor/penthouse

[@Bertrumes_Shiney_Factory]

I've seen the day where the leaning tower is compared to the army of cloned water towers

[@cartman4885]

Well done

[@dabprod]

Have a very deep drilled well for my house in up-State NY. Excellent water.

[@Papa-o33963]

New York water is the best in the country,if not the world.

[@Bsquaredplus2]

Solution: just drink beer, nothing else.

[@newbeekeeper3797]

thats literally what they did in the 1800s ny bc every water source was so contaminated, even children were drunk everyday ahahaha

[@Nairuulagch]

FYI many eastern countries middle class city residents consume far better quality of water. It is total shame and disgusting that within few blocks absolute rich and poor live in such extreme polarized water standards. Even water supply now show rich and poor people in so called best city of democratic society.

[@BBsAdventures]

Puerto Rico has those on the houses made of cement , They do not use it for drinking water only baths and dishes , Some people put tiles inside and use them as pools

[@VScott-uq1pj]

Saw crazy to hear this cause New York is widely known for having great tasting water. I grew up in NYC and loved the water.

[@spencerwilton5831]

V. Scott when I was there recently I honestly thought there was a mistake in the water treatment, it had so much chlorine it tasted like swimming pool water. I found it revolting. Still,Maithili those tanks I'm not surprised they go heavy on the chlorine, it needs it.

[@GG-wb4rt]

Moving to a New York apartment check list: Beer✔️ Bottle water✔️ Powerade✔️

[@cartman4885]

Pretty amazing just the fact that they said their are between ten to twenty thousand water tanks so many they don't even have a accurate count

[@KurtCollier]

watching this in 2019 a couple of weeks after my first stay in Manhattan. Not excited to go there again

[@brandonbaxter7307]

I dive/clean steel water tanks here in Southern California. The tanks in Cali are a lot more osha and AWWA compliant compared to these. This is absolutely unreal. Sediment just happens but potable water should have a visibility of 300+ feet easily.. these are like 10 feet.

[@somethingsomething404]

Mexico uses plastic tanks even...

[@mattdathew2794]

even Africa

[@americanpatriot3667]

Kalvin N and Mexico’s water still isn’t as clean as ours

[@octaviobustillos6968]

Bushcraft NE hahaha, yea just ask the residents of Flint, Michigan. Hahaha see how clean their water is.

[@likepie321]

it's in the middle of being cleaned but still better than most of Mexico.

[@joedirt6212]

Octavio Bustillos this is about New York kid and Mexico water is horrific

[@doxielain2231]

I used to live in an empty one of these back when I was a squatter.

[@rihamy2nd]

Dan Rod LOL

[@eiserntorsphantomoftheoper2154]

Doxie Lain I use one as a toilet

[@bufordmaddogtannen5164]

do what you gotta do.. glad your doing better..

[@rebekahalessi3731]

Wow, what was that like?

[@jordanrosales2324]

Liessss

[@ackotele-radiochannel7408]

Has anyone seen a video of rooftop AC units that had these huge fans that cooled the water inside their tanks ? They use to use them in the 1970's.

[@josephcostello695]

My father had a friend who drowned in one of those back in the 60s.

[@thisguy4614]

The scenery reminds me of spiderman 2 on my playstation

[@joker432]

“But we need less regulation!” - said by the far right.

[@theodorkorner1497]

Well, you see how good it's regulated, that no one sticks to it.

[@joker432]

Theodor Körner there needs to be more work put into enforcement also along with harsh punishments, but to simply say regulations don’t work because people don’t comply is asinine. Might as well remove all laws since every single one has been broken, right? That’s your same logic.

[@cjjonez]

The far right do not want more regulation. The far right and right wants less....first of all. Theres laws on the books.bloomberg brags about his accomplishments as mayor of New York but the show that he can't enforce basic Killeen water ordinance in his City but he runs on a platform of being a environmentalist.

[@iwanttosurvive3992]

Mkay. But New York and New Yor City has been run by Democrats for years, so.... Why don't Dems in New York do something about water tank regulation?

[@NathanVierke]

Wow, these are on nearly every single building in nyc. They’re even on a lot of brand new glass towers’ roofs. Bizarre

[@felipecosta-kv2fx]

"what? Kakyoin! He went flying through the air like a ragdoll!"

[@you_want_some_gamer8553]

Watching this in 2019 has this been fixed yet?

[@tylersheehy3918]

Nope

[@tylersheehy3918]

It's like streets evrer changing problem

[@janedoe805]

You_want_some_gamer You’re so delightfully naïve. Awww 🥰 😂👵🏻

[@tylersheehy3918]

@@janedoe805 i take afence to that stop it

[@you_want_some_gamer8553]

Jane Doe what?

[@plumbingstuffinoregon2471]

Those antique tanks look cool, but that's pretty gross.

[@PriusRaj]

so glad I live in a place where glacier water is the main source for the city

[@repairdrive]

Good freaking story!

[@monica012077]

I'm so glad I've always lived in a 5 story walkup. That was nasty! 🤮

[@Maxime_K-G]

Yeah, all of a sudden living in a low apartment building and walking up five stairs every day seems like a nice feature to me. I can't believe those tanks are used for drinking water, I always thought they were there for fire prevention.

[@MrTibbs90]

Wouldn’t there also be some sort of filtration system used before the water would get to people’s apartments?

[@trevd0g215]

Snuck up on the roof of a high rise the other day, great view of the tank and anybody could put anything in them

[@marquisinternational941]

I live in Manhattan and the building next to mine has a water tower on it. I didn't know that it was still in use though. UGH.

[@allseeingeye93]

Whenever I learn something about New York City, I'm once again faced with the question as to why anyone in their right mind would choose to live there.

[@Hashterix]

Why is a city like New York still relying on this old technology for their water supply? Modern buildings have fully enclosed and pressurised systems, and there's no reason older buildings cannot be retrofitted. This is a case of bad building management, the building managers pocketing the service charge instead of spending it on necessary maintenance.

[@jakexd5524]

Hashterix Saud Siddiqui New York’s water system can only pump water up to the 6th floor, so tanks are needed. They would have to completely rehaul the system. Water towers are still quite common across Canada, as they are a cheap and good way of maintaining water pressure. This paints a false portrait of watertowers. These ones are poorly maintained and made out of wood (or at least the wrong type).

[@EpixGamer101]

NYC still uses 1940's techbology to run its subway systems.

[@Steve-bo6ht]

It's 2019 I wonder how many of the tanks have been cleaned since 2014?

[@heyimamaker]

Curious how other cities are pumping water past the 6th floor, where I live our river is a few 150 feet below the rest of the city and we have 60 story buildings.

[@thomasgrabkowski8283]

Hey I'm a Maker even more curious how water is pumped to the top floor of 100 stores skyscrapers

[@doms6741]

I love shooting those tanks on "Just cause 2"

[@SapphireX413]

Disgusting. If they can pump water up to the tanks they can pump water to individual apartments. Even just switching from wood to durable BPA free plastic or stainless steel

[@gideonkloosterman]

The tank is important for consistent pressure, but yeah they should be stainless steel!

[@simonrichard9873]

Each apartment could have an expansion tank, like they do in homes that have a well.

[@davidduma7615]

If you watch a cooking show where they survey for the best pizza in the country, the New York pizzeria owners always say "it's because of da wouter"

[@Graham_Langley]

I am staggered by this. In the UK a lot of older mains-connected houses will still have a water tank in the loft/attic which only supplies toilets, basins, baths etc. as this stored water is not considered to be potable even though far cleaner than the water shown here. Modern tanks are plastic (polyethylene) and covered, with a screened vent to prevent insects getting in. Any taps supplying water for drinking or cooking are supplied direct from the mains as are all cold water taps in modern properties.

[@Jonathan_O]

Why can’t they just have pumps? That’s what my building has.

[@bok..]

That requires a high pressure system, most of these building are old so they have to be gravity fed. New buildings are designed to be pressurized water systems, its also cheaper having a pump turn on sometimes than all the time. You can install a system that will increase pressure slightly but that also costs alot, my house has crap water pressure on the top floor.

[@KrisMcCool]

Jonathan Owens Well, idk about other places, but at my dad’s condominium the water pressure is *STUPID* strong , it blasts everything wet if you turn it on all the way cuz the water has to reach all the way to the 54th floor ;)

[@gottagift]

the difference is between potential energy and kinetic energy. storage tanks utilize potential. Pumps rely on kinetic. Basically, you are storing up energy that can be used when the power is cut off.

[@miguelmarquez4192]

@@KrisMcCool where is this heaven you speak of? I love it when the water pressure is so high it takes your epidermis off ha!

[@spencerwilton5831]

Bok Old building? In New York? Londoner here- many of our buildings predate the USA. We have a similar population size to NYC and many live in apartments many stories high- yet we have never used rooftop tanks.

[@doctorzaius4084]

Mental Note: FWD this video to anyone who argues that NYC has "too many regulations"

[@Zreknarf]

so many in fact that they have trouble enforcing them all :^D

[@Mrcaffinebean]

doctor zaius some one didn’t watch the video....

[@tylerpeterson4726]

Noah A It’s the idea that having the regulation in place makes at least some building owners take reasonable measures against contamination of their building’s water supply.

[@Andreas4696]

Only the regulations that can somehow gather revenue are prioritized. The millions of other (and rather ridiculous) regulations are ignored, because otherwise you'd need 90% of the population working in the public sector.

[@brendanstanczyk5173]

I always think of this video when i see the NYC tanks

[@ShakespeareCafe]

A read of Hawthrone's "A Rill from the Town Pump" would be instructive

[@bittewarten3783]

Wow. We Germans have regulations for the quality of beer while these don’t even control their water quality. Cmon

[@canaldofred2366]

Nyc's water supply is one of the cleanest on Earth, the problem are the storage tanks. These should be changed to stainless steel.

[@Tony-oc9it]

I cant believe "the greatest country in the world" has this prehistoric 3rd world way of supplying water. Thank fcuk I live in Scotland.

[@adamkendall997]

Hmmm. I always thought those were for the sprinkler system only.

[@MMID303]

Even steel or concrete water tanks need to be flushed every so often. My cousin works for the local municipal authority and he helps flush out water tanks. Even fully enclosed modern tanks will get a build-up of sediment after years of use.

[@commendedzuez0944]

Wow, I am drinking NYC tap right now, watching the video :O

[@cplcabs]

hahahahaha

[@Neuru.]

commendedzuez09n

[@psps6623]

Well....Status report, Mr. Zuez! lol it's 2018

[@Chris6d]

*New York Times:* 2014 - Water Towers 2019 - _ORANGE MAN BAD_

[@AlexanderNixonArtHistory]

totally

[@VibrantDesigns]

I live in the UK. I thought those tanks were out of use and you guys got your water another way.

[@magdalenabaumgartner9546]

I never understood why there was so many home water filters (ex. britta) on the market since my home usually has clean water. Crazy.

[@crazy7997]

yorkers are ignorant. it's easier to teach an old dog new tricks than to tell a yorker there is something bad about their city.

[@gideonkloosterman]

@Lapis Lazuli Its widely known new york has more liberals, I don't get this red vs blue thing that's going on. "Goshdarn liberals wanna take my guns away!" "Damned republicans living in the 1800's!"

[@Daywalker777r]

I thought about this when playing spider man

[@ninooooo2128]

I’m going on holiday to New York next month and I’m not drinking the water!

[@jhogan1960]

I use Colilert. Neat to 'meet' the inventor.

[@peugteobike]

this is why I drink bottled water

[@sadladcinn]

Jerome Cabral wow you drink expensive bottled tap water

[@theinternet6767]

Eein Fredrickson bottled clean and safe tap water

[@sadladcinn]

unbiased 2sides with that mentality get one of the faucet filters

[@theinternet6767]

Eein Fredrickson lol. Just saying. Filters can't trap bacteria.

[@sylviarohge4204]

Bacteria are everywhere, even in bottled water. It depends on the quality of the water supply. Fortunately I do not have to worry about the water here in Germany. Since the tap water is subject to stricter controls than bottled water, it is much more efficient to drink the tap water (at least in Germany).

[@basstion4146]

KEEP OFF ROOF *IS ON ROOF*

[@andez5109]

I learned something new today I though that was for a fire

[@nicehat1236]

I've never drunk the tap water, and never will, especially after watching this.

[@simonrichard9873]

What? Really? What do you drink then? No really, this is a serious question. You have never even drank out of a water fountain at school?

[@nicehat1236]

@@simonrichard9873 Mineral water/bottled water . And the schools I went to don't have water fountains, but they supply spring water with the water dispensers.